Envy is a deadly sin that will grow inside you and slowly and systematically destroy you. It drives a wedge in your relationship with God and with others. Social media is a feeding ground for envy. People love to show off their newest outfit, hairstyle, car, home and vacation adventure. Envy causes you to be sad when someone else prospers and makes you cheer when they fail. Envy lurks everywhere…at home, school, work, church and in your family. 

Envy causes conflict and can destroy relationships even between close friends and family. It also can lead to other sins. We may lie or gossip to camouflage envy. Well, she did win the prize, but! Envy will make you miserable. It gets you to resent God’s goodness in someone else’s life while ignoring God’s goodness in your own life. It brings depression. Envy causes you to compare yourself with others and steals your joy and satisfaction when you feel what you have doesn’t measure up.

To combat this daunting foe: 1) Resist comparison. You are uniquely created by God, one of a kind. There’s never been nor will ever be anyone exactly like you. Just be you. 2) Be thankful for what you have. Spend your time being grateful for what you have rather than worrying about what you don’t have. Enjoy your blessings! 3) Love others as you love yourself. Jesus commanded it. It’s not easy and it’s not natural to love the condescending colleague, or bragging relative or neighbor, but with God’s power you can. We are told to celebrate with others and to weep with them as well. Why would you not be joyful for someone’s marriage, new baby, new home, or job promotion. Choose love! 4) Focus on pleasing God. When God is your focus earthly things fall out of view and their importance fades. Everything in this world is temporary except for people and God’s Word. Focusing on God readjusts your values and competition becomes irrelevant.

Life isn’t fair. God never said it would be. Bad people win; jerks get promoted, dishonest people succeed, and people who lack character win the bid. Remember God hasn’t written the final chapter. He will settle the score one day, you don’t need to try to, nor do you need to worry about it. When envy rears its ugly head, push back, fight, focus on God and gain the victory.

Scriptures: Galatians 5:25-26; James 4:1-2, 3:16; Proverbs 14:30; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Galatians 6:4; Psalm 139:13-14; Jeremiah 29:11; Ecclesiastes 6:9; Philippians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 13:4; Matthew 22:39; Romans 12:15; Colossians 3:2; Proverbs 23:17-18

Verses: (Ga 5:24-26) If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. (Js 4:1-2) What is the source of conflict among you? What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that are at war in your own lives? You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. (Ec 6:9) Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. (1 Co 13:4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (Ro 12:15) If some have cause to celebrate, join in the celebration. And if others are weeping, join in that as well. (Pr 23:17-18) Don’t be envious of sinful people; let reverence for the Lord be the concern of your life. If it is, you have a bright future.

Questions: Can you celebrate with others when they succeed and prosper? Why or why not? In what way are you most likely to compare yourself to others? What is most likely to cause you to be jealous? (jobs, relationships, things) What damage have you observed as the result of envy and jealousy? How does envy lead to other sins?

Prayer: (Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisholm) Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. In Jesus Name I pray. Help me to be ever grateful! Amen.